Banjo capo



United States, Patent 3,329,055 BANJO CAPO John C. Milliken, 1925 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, Pa. 17601 Filed Nov. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 414,090 Claims. (Cl. 84-318) This invention relates to a banjo capo and in particular to a banjo having a fifth string capo.

It is frequently desirable to play music in a different key than it is written in the song book. For example, the music may be written in the key of C but it is desired to sing it in the key of D. This can be done by the use of a capo which is appropriately positioned over the top of four of the strings. However, now the fifth string of the banjo must be retuned also and this presents a problem. The fifth string is the one running from the drum or head half way up the neck and is ordinarily tuned at four notes (a fifth) above middle C. If the pitch of the banjo has been raised by the capo on the four strings then it will be necessary to raise the pitch of the fifth string the same amount. This is almost impossible to do without breaking the fifth string.

Accordingly, it is one of the principal objects of this invention to provide a banjo capo for the fifth string of a five string banjo.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fifth string capo for a five string banjo which may be moved to any desired position along the neck of the banjo but will not interfere with the other four strings in the playing of the banjo.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fifth string capo for use in artificially fretting the fifth string in the appropriate position for giving the fifth string the desired pitch thereby avoiding the necessity of tightening the string beyond its fracture point.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fifth string capo which requires no modification of the banjo and also will in no way damage the banjo.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fifth string banjo which includes a continuous element embracing the neck of the banjo and extending over the fifth string and under the other four strings.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fifth string capo which includes a length of elastic material which is reduced in thickness upon being stretched around the neck of the banjo whereby the thinner crosssection of the elastic material provides the necessary clearance for normal deflection of the other four strings.

A related object of this invention is to provide an elastic fifth string capo which is provided with an adjustable fastener on its ends whereby the capo may be mounted on the neck of a banjo regardless of its crosssectional area.

A further object of this invention is to provide a banjo capo which is simple in design, economical to manufacture and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the fifth string capo;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the fifth string capo;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the capo of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the neck of the banjo illustrating the fifth string capo loosely posi- Patented July 4, 1967 tioned on the banjo prior to the ends of the capo being connected together;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a banjo neck having a pair of capos mounted thereon; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 66 in FIG. 5 and illustrating the fifth string capo in its position of use extending under four of the strings and over the fifth string.

In FIG. 5, the neck of a banjo is referred to generally by the reference numeral 10 and includes a group of four strings 12 and the conventional fifth string 14. A plurality of frets 16 extend under the four strings 12 and .a pair of frets 18 extend under the four strings 12 and additionally the fifth string 14. A peg 20 is provided for adjusting the tension in the fifth string 14. The peg 20 extends laterally outwardly from the smaller in cross-section neck portion 22 of the banjo. The smaller neck portion 22 merges into the larger in cross-section neck portion 24 in the area of the fifth string 14.

'Outwardly of the peg 20 for the fifth string 14 a capo 26 is provided for engagement with the four strings 12. Once the four strings 12 have been tuned relative to each other, the capo 26 may be moved to an appropriate position along the neck portion 22 for the banjo to play in the desired key.

Inwardly away from the key 20 towards the drum (not shown) a second capo 30 is provided which extends under the four strings 12 and over the fifth string 14 and is so positioned to give the fifth string the desired pitch relative to the other four strings.

The fifth string capo 30 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 as being formed from a length of elastic ma terial. A portion 32 is folded over onto the main body portion of the capo 30. A pair of female socket elements 36 are secured to the portion 34 and in turn to the portion 32 and are adapted to receive a male snap fastener element 38 secured to the opposite end of the main body portion 34. A spear shaped end element 40 of leather or the like is secured on the end adjacent the male fastener 38.

Thus it is seen that the elastic capo 30 is positioned 7 under the four strings 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 and the male fastening 38 is snapped into one of the female socket elements 36 causing the elastic to be stretched in its body portion 34 under the four strings 12. The stretching of the body portion 12 reduces its thickness and thereby displaces it out of the way of the four strings 12, In addition to the fifth string capo holding the string 14 down against the top face of the neck portion 24, ,a screw element 40 having a slot 42 is provided between the first fret 18 and the leg 20 and serves as a guide for the string 14 to maintain it in the proper spaced relationship to the other four strings 12.

The fifth string capo 30 can be moved quickly to any desired position along the neck portion 24 and will never interfere with the other four strings 12. The capo 30 being of elastic material in addition to elastically holding the fifth string 14 down will adapt itself readily to any size neck portion 24.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my banjo capo without departing from the real spirit and purpose of rny invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In combination, a five string banjo, .a first capo positioned outwardly of the outer end of the fifth string and in engagement with the other four strings, a second capo extending around the neck of said banjo and under and spaced from said four strings and over and in engagement with only said fifth string and selectively movable along said neck while in engagement only with said fifth string.

2. In combination, a five string banjo, a first capo p0- sitioned outwardly of the outer end of the fifth string and in engagement with the other four strings, a second capo, said second capo including a continuous elernent extending around the neck of said banjo and under and spaced from said four strings and over and in engagement with only said fifth string and selectively movable along said neck while in engagement only with said fifth string.

3. In combination, a five string banjo, a first capo positioned outwardly of the outer end of the fifth string and in engagement with the other four strings, a second capo, said second capo including a continuous element extending around the neck of said banjo and under and spaced from said four strings and over and in engagement with only said fifth string and selectively movable along said neck while in engagement only with said fifth string, said continuous element having a pair of ends and a fastener detachably connecting together said pair of ends.

4. In combination, a five string banjo, a first capo positioned outwardly of the outer end of the fifth string and in engagement with the other four strings, a second capo, said second capo including a continuous elastic element extending around the neck of said banjo and under said four strings and over said fifth string, said continuous element having a pair of ends and a fastener detachably connecting together said pair of ends, said elastic element being stretched when positioned around the neck of said banjo whereby the thickness of said elastic element is reduced from its normal unstretched condition to space it from said other four strings.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said continuous element is in the form of a strap and is provided with an adjustable fastening means for detachably connecting together said pair of ends to provide for varying the length of said element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 370,172 9/1887 Wood 84-318 416,057 11/1889 Gill et a1 84-318 1,788,636 1/1931 Russell 84318 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

C. M. OVERBEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A FIVE STRING BANJO, A FIRST CAPO POSITIONED OUTWARDLY OF THE OUTER END OF THE FIFTH STRING AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER FOUR STRINGS, A SECOND CAPO EXTENDING AROUND THE NECK OF SAID BANJO AND UNDER AND SPACED FROM SAID FOUR STRINGS AND OVER AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONLY SAID FIFTH STRING AND SELECTIVELY MOVABLE ALONG SAID NECK WHILE IN ENGAGEMENT ONLY WITH SAID FIFTH STRING. 